A macro recorder for the browser

What I mean by a browser macro recorder

A browser macro is a set of steps you set up once and run again and again. iMacros, first released in 2001, was the first tool built for the browser, and for two decades it was how people filled forms and moved data without code. It was discontinued in November 2023, because it leaned on Manifest V2 extensions that Chrome and Firefox stopped supporting, and there was no one left to rebuild it. By a browser macro recorder I mean that same idea of setting a task up once, kept alive on tech browsers still support, and tied to the elements on the page so it does not fall apart the moment the layout shifts. The difference is that you build or describe the steps, you do not chase brittle clicks.

How it does more, and where it draws the line

The old browser tools captured your clicks and played them back, and not much else. axiom is step based, so each action is a step you can see, reorder, and edit. It targets elements, not screen positions, so a button that moves is still found. It adds logic and loops, so one macro runs every row in a sheet, not just the one you set up. It reads data from Google Sheets, Excel, or a webhook. And it runs in the cloud on a schedule, not only on your machine while you watch.

The line axiom draws is the browser. The old desktop macro tools roamed the whole operating system, opening apps and moving files. axiom stays in Chrome, the way iMacros did. If your repetitive work lives in a browser, that focus is the point. If it is spread across desktop apps, an old desktop macro tool still has its place.

Looking for an iMacros alternative

iMacros shut down in 2023 and left a lot of people with macros that no longer run. axiom is the closest replacement, built for the same job of filling forms and moving data in the browser, without the dead extension tech underneath. Your old iMacros scripts will not import, the formats are different, but you can rebuild the same flow in minutes, by describing it or building it step by step.

Who this is for

This is for the iMacros user left without a tool when it shut down. For anyone whose old browser macro broke the first time the site changed. For people pushing the same data into the same forms and dashboards every day who want a macro that survives a layout change. No-coders and coders both, since you can build it without code and drop into code when you want.

How I'd approach it

I would build it step by step first. Open the page, add each step you would do by hand, and you have a macro. Then I would make it survive. Swap any shaky step for a selector so it targets the element and not a spot on the page. Add a loop if you want it to run every row from a sheet. Then run it in the cloud on a schedule.

Build, harden, loop, schedule. That order keeps it simple, and it is the same order whether you stay no-code or move into code. That is why I would reach for Build with description to lay out the first draft, then tidy the steps.

Build a browser macro from a description

Describe the macro in plain words in the Chrome extension and it builds the steps for you. Give it a few short lines, check what it made, and run it. Explore no-code. Note: Build from description is coming very soon. In the meantime you can still use the no-code builder.

Build a browser macro in code

Build with code. If you would rather script the macro yourself, this is the path. Explore code

import { chromium } from "playwright";

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(
  `wss://cdp-lb.axiom.ai/?token=${process.env.AXIOM_API_KEY}`
);

try {
  const context = browser.contexts()[0];
  const page = context.pages()[0] ?? await context.newPage();

  // Log in once
  await page.goto("https://example.com/login");
  await page.fill("#email", process.env.SITE_EMAIL);
  await page.fill("#password", process.env.SITE_PASSWORD);
  await page.click("button[type=submit]");

  // The macro, written as steps. Each row would come from your sheet.
  const rows = [
    { order: "1001", status: "Shipped" },
    { order: "1002", status: "Shipped" },
  ];

  for (const row of rows) {
    // Run the same steps for every row
    await page.goto("https://example.com/orders");
    await page.fill("#search", row.order);
    await page.keyboard.press("Enter");

    // Target the element, not a screen position, so a moved button is still found
    await page.waitForSelector(".order-row");
    await page.click(".order-row .edit");

    await page.selectOption("#status", row.status);
    await page.click("button[type=submit]");
    await page.waitForSelector(".saved");
  }
} finally {
  await browser.close();
}

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Build with a Claude skill

Build no-code or code bots with a skill.

Add the Claude skill and describe the macro. It builds the bot for you, no-code or code, and hardens the brittle steps so a layout change does not break it.

Install the skillLearn more

What can you automate?

Most repetitive browser tasks. A couple of cases worth knowing first.

What I'd watch out for

A browser macro is easy to start and easy to trip up. Here is what I would watch for.

A step that targets the wrong place

A click tied to a position breaks when the page moves. Repick the element with the selector tool so the step targets the element itself. This is the single biggest reason old macros broke.

Timing on dynamic pages

If a step runs before the page is ready, the macro misses it. Add a wait for the element, or let the no-code tool handle the waiting for you. Pages that load in pieces need this most.

Login state

If the macro needs to be signed in, store the cookies so the session carries over, rather than logging in on every run.

The tech the tool runs on

Old macro tools died when Chrome dropped Manifest V2 extensions, iMacros among them. If a tool still depends on V2, its days are numbered. Build your macros on current extension tech so the work you do now keeps running.